Optional Extra - September 2007
Welcome to Optional Extra. Every month we'll update you about what's happening in the world of housing and disabled people and, of course, at Ownership Options. We'll be covering subjects such as the changes in legislation affecting adaptations, the roll-out of the Homestake homebuyers' scheme and developments in benefits-based mortgage lending for disabled people. Along the way, we aim to highlight cases of good practice as well as examples of the bariers faced by disabled people in their search for decent housing.
We welcome your comments, and suggestions for subjects to be covered in future issues, which can be emailed to optionalextra@ownershipoptions.org.uk. Feel free to forward the newsletter to your colleagues, who can subscribe by emailing us at the address above quoting "subscribe" in the subject line.
Consultation on new disabled adaptation grant scheme ‘imminent’The Scottish Government’s consultation on the regulations and guidance arising from the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 will shortly be announced. Whilst the Act primarily deals with house condition, the Scheme of Assistance section is particularly important for disabled people. It contains a replacement for the current Housing Improvement Grant scheme which provides grant assistance for owners and private tenants who need to adapt their homes to suit a disabled person.
The aim of the new Scheme of Assistance is to encourage owners to take more responsibility for the condition of their homes. As a result, local authorities have been given a wider range of options to assist homeowners whose houses are in need of repair, improvement or adaptation. These include information, advice, direct assistance and loans, as well as the grants which are the currently the norm.
We’ve been working with Communities Scotland’s Private Sector Policy Delivery Team to develop these revised proposals. During the passage of the Act there was strong concern from disabled people that grants would be replaced by loans or information leaflets. We believe that the new scheme will be a positive step forward but at the time of writing the consultation has not been announced. Further details of the proposals will therefore have to await the next edition of Optional Extra - stay tuned!
National and local housing policy ignoring disabled peopleWhilst adaptation grant policy could be moving in the right direction (see above), there appear to be few plans to address the issues which result in large numbers of disabled people living in unsuitable housing. So says the Disability Rights Commission’s last housing report, which studied how well national and local housing strategies addressed the needs of disabled people.
The Scottish Government’s current strategy for housing is outlined in ‘Homes for Scotland’s people’ which was developed by the last administration. The researchers found that overall, the policy statement says little about the needs of disabled people. Whilst it suggests that private sector adaptations, Homestake and Supporting People can offer assistance to disabled people, it doesn’t cover important areas such as the profile of, or high rates of homelessness affecting, disabled people in Scotland. These seem serious omissions, given that Government reports have highlighted a lack of 250,000 houses suitable for disabled people and that the rate of homelessness amongst disabled people is twice the rate of non-disabled people.
Many local authorities faired little better, despite having guidance from the Government as to what should be included in their housing strategies. The researchers found that local authorities initially did very little consultation with disabled people. It is perhaps unsurprising therefore that three local authorities failed to mention physically disabled people at all, and six didn’t mention people with learning disabilities. Many of the actions reported by local authorities simply referred to gathering more information on disabled people’s problems, rather than attempting to address them.
The report makes 10 recommendations, a key one being that when developing housing policy, the Scottish government should consider key national trends for minority ethnic communities and disabled people, including homelessness; home ownership; housing design and quality; and need for housing information and advice.
The full report ‘Scotland’s Approach to Housing Policy and Strategy in Relation to Disability and Race’, written by ODS for the Disability Rights Commission, can be downloaded here.
New equalities commission formedOn 1 October 2007 the Disability Rights Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission merged into the Equality and Human Rights Commission. This new single equality Commission will champion equality and human rights for all, working to eliminate discrimination, reduce inequality, protect human rights and to build good relations, ensuring that everyone has a fair chance to participate in society.
The move has caused some confusion, not least because the Equality and Human Rights Commission was previously called the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights. The new body, whatever its name, will cover all six equalities strands; disability, race, gender, age, sexual orientation and religion or belief. It also has a mandate to promote understanding of the Human Rights Act, although in Scotland there will be an additional human rights commission.
More confusion seems to exist as to whether disability discrimination law has changed as a result of the forming of the new Commission. To clarify, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 remain unaffected, being separate from the Disability Rights Commission which was set up to promote understanding of, and to enforce, the Act. Changes to the Disability Equality Duty, part of the DDA 2005, were part of the recent consultation on the Single Equality Bill but no action has been taken as yet.
You can find out more at the new commission’s website - www.equalityhumanrights.com
Professional support for adaptations may not be enough A family was recently referred to us by their local authority due to problems with their current accommodation. The household consists of mother, father and three daughters. The middle child, aged 9, is disabled following viral encephalitis. This has left her with double incontinence and learning difficulties which often result in challenging behaviour. The family had approached their local authority for assistance in making their home suitable for their daughter as they simply cannot meet her needs as it is.
The child’s needs were assessed by the local authority’s occupational therapist. Whilst the bungalow the family owned was essentially suitable, she advised that a bathroom downstairs and a ‘time out’ room were required to ensure safety for both the disabled daughter and her sisters when she became violent. The occupational therapist also explained that an extension would be required to accommodate these adaptations. A clinical psychologist from the NHS added strong support for the need for such facilities.
However, when the family applied to the local authority’s housing department for a grant to make the adaptations they were shocked to be told that they were not eligible. A housing policy spokesperson from the local authority explained that they do not fund extensions for bedrooms, therapy or ‘time-out’ rooms. They were also non-committal as to whether they will provide support for the bathroom.
The mother explained ‘My other children cannot eat, sleep or relax in their own home, without fear that their sister, with profound and complex needs and challenging behaviour, will try and steal their food, awaken them from their sleep, hit, kick or bite them for no obvious reason.’
'I feel very frustrated. Disabled grants legislation seems to be interpreted from the perspective of physical disability which, I think, is a very narrow-minded perspective. Ironically, one of our biggest problems is my daughter's physical ability.'
Finding contractors for adaptation works in Scotland The Northern Ireland Housing Executive recently contacted us to ask whether there was a shortage of contractors in Scotland skilled in performing adaptations. A shortage exists in Northern Ireland and they were considering how to address the issue.
Having contacted most Scottish local authorities, we can report a mixed picture. It appears that the combination of a buoyant construction industry, and the mixture of trades (electrician, plumber, joiner, general builder) required for larger adaptation works, has created problems in some local authorities. Aberdeen and West Dunbartonshire are particularly affected, although the geographically close Moray and East Renfrewshire seem less affected.
Interestingly, the pull of a major city does not seem to necessarily affect surrounding authorities. East, West and Midlothian generally did not find problems creating a small pool of skilled contractors and neither did the City of Edinburgh.
What did vary considerably was the involvement of the local authority in the tendering and management of private sector works. Many took an active part in the process, either directly or through their locally Care and Repair organisation. Others simply provided grant support to grant applicants.
If your local authority has particular problems, or has looked at a partnering arrangement with a contractor to overcome the issue, we’d be interested in hearing from you. Email us at optionalextra@ownershipoptions.org.uk
Homeownership still a dream for many disabled peopleDisabled people are still significantly less likely to own their own home according to the latest Scottish Household Survey statistics from the Scottish Government. Overall, they are 1/3 less likely to own outright or be buying their home, and half as likely to be buying with a mortgage.
A similar pattern emerges with private rented property, where only 4% of households including a disabled person live versus 9% of other households.
As a result, disabled people continue to be twice as likely to live in social housing, with 40% of households including a disabled person living in this tenure versus 17% of those without.
The Scottish Household Survey is designed to provide accurate, up-to-date information about the characteristics, attitudes and behaviour of Scottish households and individuals on a range of issues. You can find out more about the 2005/6 results at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/08/01084217/0-2.
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